Letter: Prohibit video game sales to minors
Video games such as "Call of Duty" have faced increased scrutiny in light of the school shooting in Newtown, Conn. (Aug. 3, 2011) Credit: AP
A letter writer asserted that the Sandy Hook shooting was the "perfect storm" of four factors, one of which was a young man watching realistic, violent video games ["Finding compromise on guns," Jan. 23].
Years ago, the Walkman was the rage of every young person. I was totally against this device, based on observations of the users. They became engrossed, forgetting where they were walking, and their hearing was impaired by listening through headphones; they were not hearing the outside world.
One day, my young son walked to the Times Square Store in Levittown and purchased a Walkman. I confiscated it, returned to the store and demanded a total refund. The manager refused. I then stated that New York State law prohibits a sale to a minor, and my son was a minor. The refund was immediately made.
In June 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down California's ban on selling violent video games to minors, but I believe that sales to minors should be prohibited, much the same as cigarettes and alcohol.
As a human factors engineer, I believe these violent videos desensitize the operator to the act of maiming or killing animals and humans.
Arne Johnson, Levittown
